Love them or hate them, pumpkin spice flavored items have taken over store shelves. I, for one, will be glad when we move on to the Starbucks red holiday cups and peppermint everything.

Lancer Media did a taste test of NABISCO Pumpkin Spice Oreo cookies, and the staff LOVED them.  One student said, “This will become my stress food.”

Two boxes were gone in 10  minutes.  This gave me the idea to eat more pumpkin spice . . .

WRIGLEY’S Extra Pumpkin Spice Sugar Free Gum:  

Extra Pumpkin Spice Gum was average. When I first started chewing it, I was impressed. While it was not refreshing like gum should be, it had a nice chai tea flavor. However, as the flavor started to die in less than five minutes, it got a little disgusting. The spices were all that were left, and it tasted more like a watered down chai tea.

STARBUCK’S Pumpkin Spice Latte:

I was very underwhelmed after having Starbucks’ infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte. I was expecting something amazing due to its popularity. When the release date is announced each year, it’s so big that it makes the news. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is a celebrity. Unfortunately, I didn’t actually taste any pumpkin in it, which was suspicious due to the bright orange color in the cup. A lengthy stomach ache followed to further my disappointment. When I made my own pumpkin spice latte, it was much better. To do a DIY PSL, follow the directions on the Instructables site.

STARBUCK’S Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino:

After trying the Pumpkin Spice Latte, I was a little unsure about the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino. Starbucks was back on my good side after this one. It was absolutely amazing. The pumpkin spice flavor was delicious without being in my face. I would suggest dipping a Starbucks frappuccino cookie in this. If you can’t get enough of the pumpkin spice frappuccino, try making one at home! Just follow these directions from Virtually Homemade.

WILTON Pumpkin Spice Candy Melts:

Wilton Pumpkin Spice Candy Melts weren’t the worst things I tasted. I actually was able to enjoy this for a little while. However, the spices were a little too strong and dried my throat. If you don’t like the spice part of pumpkin spice, I wouldn’t recommend eating this product in its solid form. However, when melted, these can be used to dip cookies and other pastries in. They are still strong in this form, but remarkably better.

KEEBLER Pumpkin Spice Fudge Stripe Cookies:

Keebler Pumpkin Spice Fudge Stripe Cookies are actually pretty good. I couldn’t stop myself from eating these once I got started. The only thing I would complain about is that the package says “fudge,” yet there’s no fudge to be seen.

NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Pumpkin Spice Flavor Morsels:

Nestle Toll House Pumpkin Spice Flavor Morsels are absolutely disgusting when not baked into something else. The spices are too strong. The aftertaste is even worse. My mother, Teresa Fiore, said it was similar to “…licking a candle.” When baked into cookies, they tasted much better. If you want to make some cookies for yourself, follow the Very Best Baking’s recipe. The cookies get a five-star rating.

KRISPY KREME Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts:

Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts followed the common thread. Too much spice, not enough pumpkin. They were a little dry as well.

KRAFT Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows:

I thought Kraft Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows were going to be really good. I was dead wrong. I’m not even sure I was tasting pumpkin spice. It was more like expired pepper stuffed into a marshmallow. If marshmallows were members of a family, this one would be the ugly stepsister.

THOMAS Pumpkin Spice English Muffins:

I did not have very high expectations for Thomas Pumpkin Spice English Muffins. The flavor was super bland and the texture was chewy. The few pumpkin morsels I tasted were okay. Spreading some butter on it wasn’t bad either. Then again, they didn’t satisfy me because pumpkin spice makes no sense in an English muffin.

Overall, I was very unimpressed with pumpkin spice flavored items. I would not recommend buying them, as they will disappoint you half the time.